A matter of sexual exploitation and rape in the name of “Halala” has emerged in the Amroha district of Uttar Pradesh. The victim has submitted a First Information Report (FIR) at the Saidnagli police station. She revealed that her husband, Azhar Nawaz, gave her instant triple talaq, after which he and his family, along with Islamic clerics, forced her into participating in halala for the purpose of remarriage.
Notably, they forced her into divorce and halala twice. Nawaz has been arrested, while the other suspects are currently on the run.
Notably, the Modi government officially outlawed triple talaq after the Supreme Court termed it unconstitutional in 2017.
The complaint stated that halala was executed under a pre-arranged temporary arrangement, and the woman was pushed to engage in sexual relations. She conveyed that the process constituted sexual violence, perpetrated through intimidation, fear and pressure. The complainant pointed out that she was subjected to an ordeal resembling gang rape.
As per the victim, she was forcefully married at the age of 15 in the year 2015. She was then issued triple talaq by her husband in 2016, and after that, she was forced to undergo halala, so that she could remarry her husband. According to Islamic halala rules, a divorced woman must marry another man, consummate the marriage, and get a divorce before she can remarry her ex-husband.
She was again divorced by her husband using triple talaq 2021, and she started to live separately with her child, facing financial constraints. In February 2025, her husband’s side approached her for remarriage, but they told her that she had to undergo halala twice this time, as she had been divorced twice. She accepted the condition, being forced into raped by multiple men, before she was accepted by Azhar.
However, later she realised that she was being sexually exploited in the name of talaw and halala, and decided to lodge a complaint. The police have initiated a case under sections 3 and 4 of the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act, 2019, alongside sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) pertaining to rape, severe injury, criminal conspiracy and criminal intimidation.
After it was found that she was married in 2015 at the minor age of 15, the authorities included sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act to the case. The police have stated that further action will be taken based on the evidence collected. The woman’s husband, his cousin and a hakim were named in the FIR. However, more names were added based on the findings of the probe.
Notably, the woman’s grandfather was a DSP in Uttar Pradesh Police, and her father is a lawyer.
